Rain of Carnations
by quiet princess
Summary: "Did you really want power that much?" She spat out angrily, immediately dropping her zanpakuto, before slapping the man across of his face, who now was stunned, "Fool, you are nothing but a fool, Aizen, I warned you, but you never read the signs." OCxUrahara, mentions of OCxShunsui
1. Chapter 1

A small village was hidden within the deep forests and mountain areas of Rukongai, it was a peaceful village - built upon a river and the supposed leader of it was a woman. It might've seemed odd to travelers who just passed by, but it had been as it was. Though a lot of the village still had been in the process of being built, many of the houses were up and standing with livable conditions. They seemed to be sized according to the amount of people who lived within them – if it was someone who lived alone, it would be a one story house, fairly small but with enough room to properly accommodate the person living in it, whereas if it was a family of several people, it'd most often be a two story house that spanned out a little more. All of the houses had connected backyard that had been built to resemble parks the woman had seen in the human world during her travels.

The house that stood out like a sore eye was the leaders – it was a beautiful black wood house, it stood five stories tall, the roof reaching up into the sky as if trying to grace the people in the vicinity by its presence. The base of the house had been stone whereas the rest of it was black wood with silver ornaments that were intricately detailed. The roofs of the house were red, with gold accents at the corners while gold Kirin's sat on every corner of the roof, wrapped around every support beam of the house and a rather massive one wrapped around the roof, reaching off into the sky and at the same time – looking over the village.

The house represented her clan, the fact that she had been the last one remaining and the fact that it had been her job to watch over the people who lived alongside of her.

The village the woman had built mostly consisted of people who preferred peace and were willing to give up fighting and useless pestering whilst working and helping each other. Both men and women had come to accept the woman as their leader, though they seldom saw her lately due to the fact that she had been working on funding and receiving materials in complete discretion to outside world, they still appreciated what she had done for them and would continue to do.

The first villager, if the man dared to call himself that, had been an unnamed man, he had just died and was almost immediately attacked by a hollow upon his arrival. If it hadn't been for her, he would've been another soul gone. She gave him a name, offered him a purpose and settled him down fairly. The first months were slow as people were afraid that the woman was nothing but useless, but then she had saved a group of children from an arrancar which had attacked them. She suffered minor damage as the creature had been weak compared to others she had fought, however people respected her for risking her life for the sake of children and so they came.

She refused to train anyone, however she did send people to the Academy if she believed they were trustworthy and strong enough to enter. He often seemed mystified by the woman because her knowledge on Gotei 13 and Seireitei, hell, even Soul Society in general seemed to be so extensive, but she never talked about where she achieved this knowledge. Most had assumed that she was the last of a noble clan and trying to preserve it or remain alive, she had isolated herself from most of the world, but they couldn't complain. She treated these people fairly, offering them opportunities to work together and allowed them for equal opportunities in life. If this village were to become something more, it would be a well-structured empire.

The woman sat in front of a table, curiously looking at a book, exploring different ideas of medication and herb treatments. She had put her violent past behind after her exile, she had decided that there was no room within her new grounds to fight at any point unless it is required to save someone's life. She would no longer repeat her stupid mistakes, she had to learn, grow and move on or otherwise she'd be sulking over her exile forever.

She wasn't lonely by no means, between the villagers who enjoyed her company, she also received both letters and in-person visits from her old friends, Captains of certain squads. Something always kept her busy and moving and leaving her no time to ponder her fate or grow hatred towards anyone.

She hadn't been expecting visitors for a while now as she had heard that Shunsui had been scolded and given a warning for meeting with a traitor, which she always found quiet amusing. Aizen would visit her quite often, he would talk to her extensively and bring her gifts such as books, herbs and spices. They had bonded long before he had become a Captain. She remembered how young and pure the man looked back then, when he was Shinji's lieutenant. And whilst she always knew the man had different plans for Soul Society, who was she to judge his decisions. It wasn't her judgment to push forward, she would let others decide. She just had been a motherly figure there for him, when he required support even if she could only provide emotional reassurance on plans he never elaborated too much on.

She rose her eyes towards the doors, seeing Aizen, a gentle smile found its way upon her face as she looked at the man, "Come, sit, would you like tea?" She asked gently, slowly standing up and brushing out her white kimono which dragged across the floor behind her.

"Yes, please Kaiyu, your tea blends never cease to amaze me, I'd like something relaxing today." She heard him reply as she turned her back onto the man descending into the kitchen. He followed her, taking seat at the small breakfast table which sat there.

"How is Seireitei doing?" She asked whilst shuffling around, picking out different herbs from cupboards and crushing them with the mortar with a pestle.

The woman heard the man chuckle before he spoke up, "It's been doing quite well, for now, watch that Yamamoto doesn't request your return to Gotei 13 soon."

"I don't quite believe that it would happen and if it were to, I'd have to reject as there would be no one to watch over the village and finish my plans." She admitted confidently, before pouring the crushed herbs into a tea pot, pouring hot water over it. She let it steam before turning her attention back to the man.

"If it did come down to it, should I expect a Hell's Butterfly or a Messenger to arrive and ask for my hand?" She asked, laughing at her own joke to which Aizen joined her.

"Perhaps Shunsui will arrive to finally take that hand of yours, I heard he had been given a warning for visiting you."

"Yes, it appears so, we only correspond in letters currently, he's quite the poet, if I may say so." She chuckled once again before returning her attention back to the tea pot. Taking out two tea cups which she had gotten as a present from Jushiro, both were made of porcelain with a simple and modern design, yet she quite enjoyed them.

She moved towards the table, setting the tea cups down before pouring Aizen and herself a cup "Rosehip, peppermint, some vervain and I'd suggest adding honey, a spoonful." She said thoughtfully before sitting down and fixing her Kimono a little.

Both spent the rest of the evening chatting about small things, Aizen letting her in on some of his plans in regards of Soul Society and possibly bringing Kaiyu back to Gotei 13 upon achieving his plans. She just smiled at the man before he rephrased what he had said, "I'd like you to be responsible for architecture, you'd just have to draw out plans and designs and add your touch to create friendlier looking environment for both civilians and the Shinigami."

She mused over his idea, whilst it would be nice, it still would require her presence there and she hadn't been interested after being exiled for no good reason, "Get to the latter part of your plan first, dear, then I'll consider your proposal." She smiled softly at the man who returned the smile.

Kaiyu stood up slowly, taking hold of both of the tea cups, placing them in a large pot which held other dirty dishes before she took hold of the teapot, emptying the herbs out of it into a smaller clay pot where a single peppermint grew.

"I believe it would be wise for you to go now, Aizen, dear." She said softly, turning her gaze back towards the man.

"That is indeed true, it's quite late and it's quite a way to get back there, I'll be sure to stop by again, soon, take care and stay in good health." He was leaving, but Kaiyu didn't give him a chance yet.

She grabbed the man by his shoulder, turning him towards her as she wrapped her arms around him to hug him. "I apologize if I angered you with my statement, however you should know better than to leave without giving me a hug." She said quietly before letting the man go, seeing his features soften up she smiled once again, "Before you go, here, let me give you something to take with you, I had it made for you a little while back but never got around giving it to you." She said softly before wandering off into the living room and opening a cupboard, taking out a cream white wooden box, the lacquer making it shine at odd light angles whilst written on the box in black ink was _for Aizen_.

She handed the man the small box, smiling just as brightly as before, watching him slowly open it to reveal a silver chain to which a silver and black pendant hung, it was a Kirin wrapped around a black opal.

"Treat it well and don't lose it, now go on, don't raise more suspicion than you already have among your subordinates." The man stood there quietly for a moment before wrapping his arms tightly around the woman, holding her close.

"Thank you, it means a lot, Kaiyu." She smiled at the man, nodding with a small smile before watching him leave the house, she followed outside before seeing him disappear almost immediately, he flash-stepped away in a hurry.

She stood there, leaning against the door frame whilst greeting the villagers who were returning from farm land fields. It wasn't until she felt a strange reiatsu from nearby that she seemed alarmed. She furrowed her brows, heading inside whilst taking hold of her zanpakuto. It sat neatly in a black sheath whilst around the hilt a black ribbon hung from it, on the ribbon was sewn another Kirin, with both gold and red thread. She carefully held onto it before moving towards the reiatsu, looking around to realize she had arrived at the farm lands.

She surveyed the nearby fields, noticing that no one had been here, so the reiatsu seemed out of place at this point. Furrowing her brows once again, she slowly walked through the field, hoping that whatever it was, she could attract its attention, it wasn't until she felt the reiatsu again, but this time in an entirely familiar direction and it was much stronger than before.

She rushed back to the village only to see it in ruins. Bodies lying everywhere, no one had been spared, the buildings had been burnt to crisp, even hers. She bit the inside of her cheek, trying to find the culprit, but there was no one here.

Kaiyu searched the entire village, hoping to find at least one soul that was still there with her, but no, it was only her. She collapsed onto her knees, still holding onto her sheathed katana. She wasn't capable of crying, she hadn't been for so long, but she could feel the salty tears falling and spilling. So much work, so much passion and it was gone, she couldn't save it.

She curled up, wrapping her body around her zanpakuto, the tears wouldn't stop flowing, it was like an open waterfall. After some time of crying she drifted off to sleep, it had worn the woman out.


	2. Chapter 2

She awoke, but she wasn't familiar with where she was, the walls were white and she had been covered with a blanket. It wasn't a familiar place for her at all. She noticed that her zanpakuto lay beside the bed on the table, carefully placed there. Slowly the room seemed more familiar… Fourth Division, ICU.

Kaiyu was confused, slowly getting up before feeling a sharp pain run through her legs, she slowly removed the cover, realizing that she had suffered burns at some point, even more confusion seemed to cloud her mind, but then the doors opened. Aizen, Unohana, Shunsui and even Yamamoto rushed into the room.

She looked at them with a wary glance, slowly moving her legs out of the bed before placing them against the cold tile floor. Unohana ushered her back in, wrapping the blanket tightly around her before checking over her vitals.

"What happened?" Kaiyu asked, her confusion apparent to everyone in the room which in turn caused more confusion to them.

Aizen spoke up, "I left my haori at your house after I left and when I had realized, I went to get it and found you like this, and the entire village had been burnt to a crisp."

The woman cringed, that wasn't what she remembered, "No, it hadn't. After you left there was an unfamiliar reiatsu spike near the farmlands so I went to check…" She suddenly trailed off, gasping for air.

Unohana was quick to work, applying two different kido healing spells she believed would help and so they did, but Kaiyu was back to being blacked out.

"Leave now, boys, she needs rest, she inhaled too much smoke, her lungs might be permanently damaged causing her these fits." Unohana said thoughtfully, but her expression wore sadness, Aizen frowned at this before sitting down onto a chair, refusing to leave and Shunsui decided to do the same, however Yamamoto excused himself.

A single thought ran through the General's mind, who and why? He had exiled the woman for her well-being as she had gotten too close with Kisuke and his crowd of misfits, he still remembered how upset the woman had been over it not to mention that whilst in exile she had found out that Kisuke had been pronounced a criminal, this distraught her even more, Aizen seemed to be the only one who had been there to keep her company and care for how she felt.

A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he furrowed his brows, having found himself in his garden. This had been one of her favorite places to spend time if she wanted to escape her Captain duties in the Third Division. He had always kept it neat and proper for her, in case he ever decided that she should return to it, it was her home after all.

He might not be related to the woman by blood, but she showed so much kindness to everyone that people often easily used and abused it. He had found her twenty years after creating Gotei 13. She had been a fairly young woman, but what had been impressive was her reiatsu. It wasn't as much as powerful, but it had a strange effect on people. It was soothing and warming, a welcome embrace or a stroke from a mother.

He could never put it into words and that was the first and only time he had dealt with someone as such, however he remembered her bad phases as well. When she lost track of what she had been doing in life after Kisuke and Yoruichi seemed to become intimately close whilst Kisuke had been showing interest towards Kaiyu.

Perhaps it was a misunderstanding on Kaiyu's part, it most likely had been and whilst Kisuke broke the laws, he knew Kisuke to be a fair man and often wondered whether there had been more to what happened that day when Central 46 issued for his and Tessai's arrest.

One had been always certain for The General, Kaiyu was a force to be reckoned, something always was a little too much with her, a little too sweet, too good, too nice and then would come the times she blew up, sending one third of her Division to the Fourth Division, because quoting her at that time, "There is no space for the useless, only the useful."

It caused quite a scene and she had been exiled in complete secrecy after that. Yamamoto would often see how she was fairing and how her little village had been coming along. The people seemed happy and she provided fairly for all of them, no one was ever left out and if she was short on supplies, the villagers would gather together and find a way to deal with the issues on their own.

He was proud, like a father would be and sometimes he felt that he should've intervened sooner or done things differently, but some days, he just wished he could've kept her safely there forever, but things were changing and so were the times in Seireitei. They needed strong and healthy leaders now and soon, because the air didn't smell of anything but filth and lies.

It had been a little over a week before Kaiyu woke again, still in the same room, causing the woman to frown. She had hoped for it all to have been a nightmare, but her wish hadn't been granted. She slowly sat up, no longer feeling sharp pain in her feet, her gaze fell onto a package which sat on a chair by the doors. A frown found its way to her face, realizing that she wasn't sure whether she could make it and it could be hours before someone would visit her again, but she was too curious.

She moved slowly, revealing her legs to herself, cringing slightly at the scars, the burns had been healed, but the scars left behind, they made the woman quite uncomfortable. She wished to cover them up as soon as possible as it hadn't been very like her to be barefoot.

Her frown deepened as she put her feet onto the floor, feeling the cool sensation overcome her feet as she slowly stood up, while holding onto the small table beside her bed. Her footing was unsteady, but she slowly made her way towards the package, trying to hold at whatever she could before finally moving forward without doing so. She quickly fell into the chair beside the one which the package sat atop of.

A red satin wrap held a cloth type of material wrapped, she furrowed her brows, slowly unfolding the silk as she came face to face with something familiar. Her Captain haori, she held the piece of clothing staring at it blankly before looking at the back of it, no longer did the red satin piece have the Third Division symbol on the back of it, it had been replaced masterfully with the Gotei symbol encased in a circle.

Yamamoto finally entered the room as he looked at the woman, who looked back up at him, "I had it modified for you, whilst you cannot hold the same position you did, I have explicitly created a position for you which requires you to figure out the placement of new recruits and what to do with the overflow of skillful Shinigami in the academy."

"And what if I reject?" She asked quietly, looking back down at what once had been her pride and joy, something she had spent months on, to find the right materials and the days she spent sewing it by hand.

Yamamoto didn't seem pleased however he didn't push his luck, "Then I hope you change your mind, otherwise you're free to leave."

The silence seemed to get thick before she looked up at him, realizing that even if she wanted to leave, she no longer had a place which she could call a home and perhaps things had changed for the better even though she so often had been told the otherwise by Aizen.

"What am I required to do?" She asked thoughtfully, before feeling the man let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding on to.

"For now, nothing, I'm currently working on an expansion plan as there has been an increased amount of students at the Academy and if they're going to keep graduating at this rate, we won't have enough space in the Divisions. We've had to leave quite a few strong Shinigami in the academy for another year when they could've graduated early."

Kaiyu nodded a little, as if understanding what he meant before she slowly stood up her arms reaching out for the older man. He seemed to understand what she wanted and he knew better than to not give her what she required.

He moved towards the woman, letting her wrap her arms around him, hugging him tightly, "I kind of missed Seireitei, whilst I grieve for the village, I feel like I would've left sooner or later." She admitted quietly before letting go off the man.

He nodded in agreement, before watching the woman let her haori drape around her shoulders. Red and gold were indeed her colors, he had to admit. He offered the woman his arm, "Hold on, my zanpakuto." She said before slowly moving her bare feet toward it. She took hold of it, holding onto the sheath with one hand whilst linking her other hand through his.

And so they walked. Some people in Fourth Division seemed intrigued but the stare which Yamamoto shot them had been enough to make them bite their tongues. He escorted her at her own pace, being mindful of her feet and that she'd require time and healing for her to be back at her speed.

They walked through the streets of Seireitei, being greeted by Shinigami and some curious Lieutenants. Though he only nodded in approval, Kaiyu always gave the people a small smile which seemed to lift their mood and have them go on their way faster.

He led her through the First Division building, towards where she once rested. He had prepared a small home for her in her garden, seeing as he wasn't sure whether he wanted her to have her own Division or he rather her belong under his Division as a special rank below him, but above his Lieutenant.

He would have to think about this as he knew that freedom of having her own place would mean much more to her than a Division, perhaps that's what he would arrange for her. He had received reports which gave the full rundown of the village which she had built with what she had at the time. He had seen the plans she had drawn and to be quite honest, it may not be something that mattered to him on a personal level, but the village would've looked as if it belonged to a long running noble clan, with her house being the main center piece.

This all led him to more thinking, but he'd have to do it within his own private time as this idea would require careful planning to succeed.

"I had the house built for you over the week and Unohana had been kind enough to supply you with herbs which she owned, but she also welcomes you to see her for more information on where to find something specific you might need." He said, letting go of the woman as she slowly walked forward through her garden.

"I imagined the garden would have died out by now," She said, looking back at the man with a large smile. Ah, she knew how to play with an old man's heart, indeed she did.

"I had it taken care of, in case of your return, which I hoped would happen sooner than this." He admitted to which Kaiyu just smiled once again.

"Thank you, really, for everything."

"Yes… You're welcome," He replied before he turned his back towards the woman, "I'll be leaving now, if you require anything, you know your way around the First Division, not much has changed."

"Very well, I'd love to propose that we have tea, but I'll have to replenish my herb quantities first, give me a few days." She said softly only to hear a soft chuckle escape the man before he left.

Kaiyu had been left to her own devices as she slowly made her way toward the house, she opened the sliding door before looking at how simple, yet also elegant the interior had been, she found the floor plan quite intriguing, her kitchen and living room had been turned into one, whilst her bedroom was hidden behind one of the two doors the house had.

She would explore when she was properly dressed, her feet needed exercise so she could get back to where she had been before the attack. She still found it odd that she had been burnt as she couldn't recall what had happened after she arrived at the village to find it in shambles.

The woman decided she'd investigate soon, there had been no other choice.

She discarded this thought for now as she moved towards what she assumed was her bedroom. A wide smile was plastered across of her face as she came across of different types of material rolls stacked together by the wall, ranging from different colors, most having no pattern besides one, which had been a light pink silk with clouds and a large moon scattered throughout.

She had found a large variety of different threads, though most were black, red, gold and silver, which she found amusing. Yamamoto really wanted to make her feel welcome, so she didn't hold back, she needed something other than a hospital gown either way.

The haori she had put on before was quickly placed onto a cloth hanger and hung up in the empty closet before she moved towards the fabric. She looked at the entire wall, going over the different shades of the rainbow, most were dark colors as that had been what she preferred to wear. Dark material rarely showed blood, thus she relied on it more than the rest if she was out on a mission that could get dangerous.

She pulled out a roll of a black cotton material, it was thick and she could possibly create a customized kimono which trailed behind her as the white one she wore whilst at her village. She slowly unrolled the roll, running her hands across the material before getting to work.

The process took her two hours before she finally gave in and finally let her eyes land on the sewing machine which had been placed in the corner of the room, closer to her bed. She had used them a handful of times and preferred doing everything by hand, but for now, this would have to do.

She took the cutout pieces before carefully sewing everything together with black thread, she added a red silk ribbon, sewing it down along the edge of it, allowing for it to decorate every open edge. Next she finally furrowed her brows, looking at the gold thread sitting in front of her, perhaps she may have to, a small sigh left her lips as she slowly started working on a small design along the hems, it went by fairly quickly as she had always been used to hand work and crafts. The design was of a continuous wave pattern which finally met at the starting point. She carefully threaded it together and after six hours she had been done. The Kimono was rather simple, it wasn't very traditional as it was held together by a single gold rope tied around her waist tightly, the sleeves were rather large and heavy but she didn't mind and the kimono pooled around her feet so she was more than happy.

Her next issue had been clogs, she never wore them, she had always gone barefoot, so she curiously looked at the black material before giving in and cutting strips of it. She sewed it together before wrapping them tightly around her feet, the length reached up to her mid-thigh and she was content with that as she'd rarely, if ever, show that much leg.

Once she had been finished she looked at a box she recognized, it seems like someone had retrieved it from the village for her, it was a black box covered heavily by lacquer. It stood fairly tall, but not wide. She slowly opened it taking out a set of gold plated steel chopsticks. She slowly wrapped a bun at the back of her head before placing the chopsticks through. Most of her black hair fell free. She seemed content finally and then, a Hell's Butterfly, curiously, she let the little creature land upon her hand before she listened.

"I'd like to call a Captain's meeting immediately, you have 20 minutes to arrive."

Kaiyu furrowed her brows before shaking her head slightly, moving back to where her haori was hung, she slowly picked it off of the coat hanger and draped it around her shoulders, moving to take hold of her zanpakuto before she moved towards the meeting room.

The walk wasn't slow and it appeared that most of the Captains and Lieutenants had already been gathered in prior, so she found it very curious that she had received a 20 minute notice to arrive.

The woman took a seat, rather than standing like the rest of the Captains had. She did earn some curious glances as there had been faces she didn't recognize and vice versa. She watched Aizen move towards her, his hand resting on the back of her chair to which she looked up to smile at the man as a small thank you. Whilst she knew several of the Captains and Lieutenants, there were more that she hadn't been aware of until today. Things surely had changed since her exile.

"As I have briefed all of you prior, we have a returning Gotei 13 Captain, however she will not assume a rank such as a Lieutenant. She will lead a new branch of Division in hopes of finding the fresh Academy Graduates a fitting squad and training them in preparation for the squad which matches or reflects the personality and requirements of the person."

Some people mulled over the thought before one spoke up, "I don't believe this should be an issue that should have a separate branch created, we, as Captain's can handle the new recruits with ease." It appeared to be Byakuya, he seemed to have grown. A small frown found its way to her lips as she remembered Aizen telling her that his dear wife had passed not that long ago.

Yamamoto sighed quietly, having figured that someone would try to invalidate his idea, "It is an issue, Kuchiki, we've left great Academy graduates to repeat the year due to the fact that we simply don't have the proper housing for them nor preparation. A lot of unseated members wind up dead due to a miscalculation on the part of a Captain," He said, gazing at the man, seeing if he would further challenge the idea, seeing him ready to speak up again, Yamamoto didn't give him the chance this time, "Furthermore, Kaiyu had been a Captain of the Third Division for the same amount of time as Captain Unohana had been for the Eleventh and Fourth Division, she's knowledgeable and resourceful. If you have any suggestions and would prefer to give up your Captain's position for her, please, go ahead."

No one dared to challenge the man after said statement, they just stared at the woman with a curious gaze before Shunsui finally spoke, "I'd fully trust with her training the recruits both on basic life skills and combat skills."

This even surprised Yamamoto, although he knew that Shunsui would support Kaiyu regardless of which position she would be handed, he didn't expect him to so outwardly say that he'd support her training recruits in combat skills.

"Any other objections before I declare this decision final?" The man asked, his eyes closed again as he stood completely still, this time, Kenpachi spoke up.

"I'd like to request a battle to see if she's worthy of holding a Captain title." Yamamoto looked at the man curiously, would Kaiyu be able to last with the injuries she sustained, her sitting down made him curious, but he didn't get the chance to answer, she answered instead.

"Sure," The woman spoke casually, tilting her head to the side whilst looking at the man, Shunsui bit the inside of his cheek, the woman rarely tilted her to the side when she agreed to fights, if she did, it hadn't been a good sign.

Aizen seemed to catch onto Shunsui's worry as he interrupted, "Perhaps now wouldn't be a good time, her feet are still recovering from third degree burns."

Unohana voiced her agreement, but Kaiyu rose her hand up, shaking it a little, "No, it's fine, I rather have a stretch, I haven't had one in over a hundred years, living in the forest where arrancars and hollows are a rare appearance doesn't help much with the fitness." She said thoughtfully, standing up before beckoning Kenpachi to follow as they took off.

Yamamoto let out a loud sigh of frustration, not a day back but she might injure one of his Captains already or herself, had she gotten dumber? He really hoped that she hadn't become out of touch with her own power and trusted that she wouldn't have lied about arrancar and hollow appearances.

The rest of the Captains followed after them, where they finally reached the Eleventh Division's training grounds as the First Division training grounds had been preoccupied.

The woman's footing still hadn't been great, but she didn't worry too much. She knew that Kenpachi was a powerhouse, but if she could out speed him, would it be such a bad thing? She curiously thought to herself before turning her full attention to Kenpachi. She wouldn't unsheathe her zanpakuto, not yet or for a while or at all, hopefully.

"Well, what are you waiting for little lady?" The man taunted her to which she raised her brow, but she took it as an invitation. The woman wasn't as fast as she preferred to have been, but she still had some initial speed as she smacked the hilt of her sword between his shoulder blades, watching the man stumble forward, falling almost.

"Oi, fight me for real, I don't like playing cat and mouse." He yelled at her, to which she just smiled softly before the smile flat lined, her lips drawn together into a frown as she watched the man launch himself at her.

She successfully side stepped before smacking the hilt of her sword into his ribs this time only to feel his arm grab hold of hers, she cursed slightly under her breath, she wasn't fast enough.

The man flung her across the battle ground before launching himself towards the woman, she managed to soften the landing on her feet by landing onto her palms, barely avoiding the swing of his sword as she finally flash-stepped away, out of his vision. She watched the curious man before she heard a young girl's voice shout, "Kenny, she's behind you!"

She frowned before she flash-stepped behind him again as he turned towards where she had stood before. This time she aimed for a bundle of nerves in Kenpachi's back, watching the man crumple to the ground before she dug her sheathed sword in between his shoulder blades, pushing down forcefully and harder, the growl that he released mixed with discomfort was obvious, finally she let her reiatsu go slightly wilder, watching the man not budge, she frowned, perhaps it hadn't been as effective anymore, nevertheless.

She stopped herself from going any further, pulling the sword back only to feel herself be flung again, he was quick, she had to give it to him and her feet were starting to hurt, even though she had wrapped them in the cotton bandages, they were getting sweaty and there wasn't much air ventilation happening.

The Captain's watched their game of cat and mouse, not sure who was the cat or mouse. Shunsui would occasionally sigh, realizing that the woman wasn't nearly up to par as she used to be and he wasn't sure whether it was her being out of shape or due to her feet.

Aizen pinched the bridge of his nose, to which Yamamoto simply closed his eyes, whilst Unohana had called over people from her Division in case either of them gets hurt. Byakuya would sometimes make small comments to his Lieutenant Renji whilst Hitsugaya just watched it unfold quietly.

Jushiro hadn't joined them in the viewing, excusing himself from the group due to being exhausted. Gin hung nearby Aizen, looking at the fight intently, but not entirely convinced either of the Captains who were fighting had any interest in it. Kenpachi wouldn't swing the woman around so much and the woman wouldn't be trying to make him submit with only the hilt and sheath of her zanpakuto if either had any interest in the fight, it still was rather curios, she had been the prior Captain of Third Division, he recalled that one day Third Division had a Captain and the next she was gone. It was a rather mystifying case for most, but she had been soon forgotten save for Aizen and Shunsui who would sometimes mention her to Yamamoto or just midst a conversation.

Mayuri was very interested, he could feel the woman's reiatsu, it was different, it was almost the polar opposite of what Yamamoto's had been. It was soft and as if he was being enveloped in a mother's hug. He took mental notes, sometimes whispering something in Nemu's ear which she promptly took note of.

The fight between the two carried on for an hour of running back and forth, at this point, Kaiyu's legs felt like they were set ablaze, her muscles seemed to be unhappy with her, but she kept pushing, hoping to tire the larger man, but he seemed to have a strategy in his mind, his blows with his sword weren't as efficient as when they would be if they were well aimed.

She finally unsheathed her zanpakuto, dropping the sheath onto the ground before releasing her Shikai, it wasn't something that people often saw as she avoided most conflict if she could, the sword she carried turned a completely black color, no light reflected off of it.

Kaiyu felt her speed increase momentarily, knowing that the effect of her Shikai didn't last long, she had to be quick even with the raging pain in her feet.

The release of her Shikai prompted Kenpachi to become more offensive, throwing harder blows at the woman which she mostly avoided, however few of them grazed against her kimono, ripping both the bottom of it and her left sleeve off. If she hadn't been faster, those would've been her legs and an arm.

"Oi, you dingle, I just finished sewing this today." She shouted before charging at the man, she was going to risk it, her Shikai's power was waning and she could feel it. She hit the man's wrist with the hilt of her sword, disarming him before slamming her shoulder with all the force she could manage into the man's chest, causing both of them to skid several meters along the earth, the man underneath her taking most of the impact, she was quick to turn the sword in her arm around, pressing the dull side of it against the man's neck, cutting off his breathing whilst she moved to straddle him, digging her knees into his bicep's to try and find the point which would cause his arms to go numb.

It wasn't long until the man seemed to become drowsy at which point she let go, slowly getting off as Unohana's Division members made their way towards them. Kaiyu promptly avoided them, moving to pick up the sheath of the sword as it reverted back to its normal state.

Her feet had been ready to give out, she had done too much, straining her muscles thoroughly, she imagined that if she told Unohana, she wouldn't hear the end of the rambling and ranting from her about how careful she should've been instead of taking a bull by its horns in such a state.

She had been surprised that she managed to do much at all. She looked at the kimono, before unsheathing her sword again and cutting the edge of it before ripping it to be mid-thigh length at which point she unraveled the bandages around her feet, showing the scars that littered her legs after the burns.

Shunsui had been first to approach the woman, as if to congratulate her, but she had just waved the man off, all she wanted was to get a high dosage of pain killers as every next step she took burnt more and more, causing her to fall back, her feet out stretched as she slowly sheathed her sword once again, looking at both Aizen and Shunsui who stared at the woman from above.

"Hi," She said with a small frown, "My feet seem to have decided to abandon me tonight." Before laughter escaped her and Shunsui's laughter followed suit whilst Aizen just shook his head, not seeing the light of the situation.

"Kaiyu, you didn't have to do that." Aizen said, helping the woman stand up before just picking her up whilst Shunsui took hold of her zanpakuto and they headed back towards the First Division.

All the woman could do was laugh, the pain had become so much that she didn't know how else to deal with it. Unohana just scoffed, mumbling something about seeing the woman later or tomorrow, depending on how Unohana felt about the situation at hand.

Shunsui looked at the man who carried Kaiyu, he always had his doubts about Aizen, but if he made Kaiyu content and happy, he wouldn't contest the situation. She treated the man like a child and he took care of her as if she had been his elderly mother who was in bad health. It hadn't exactly been Kaiyu's case, but to Shunsui, it seemed to be this way.

He knew that even now, some part of Kaiyu belonged to Kisuke, she wouldn't allow conversation about him and she'd always drop the subject if it had been brought up. He found it curious, that even after all of this time, she carried on in such a manner.

The man sighed when he heard the laughter become painful screams as Aizen had sat her down at the edge of her bathtub and asked Shunsui to help with things. Both men worked quietly, appearing to try and zone out of her wailing and screaming. Shunsui held the woman tightly against him whilst trying to keep her body still as Aizen washed her feet with warm water before applying creams that were supposed to reduce muscle pain quicker.

The two men in the room looked at the screen, the scene unfolding in front of them. They had recently implanted a new device of Kisuke's inside of Soul Society, a mosquito which worked as a camera and mostly was used to create a layout of Soul Society and a better understanding as Kisuke was aware of all possibilities considering Rukia's involvement with Ichigo.

Shinji cursed, realizing that Kaiyu still hadn't a clue that the man who had been carrying her was responsible for so much death and Kisuke, he had somehow zoned out. She looked happy for the first in such a long time until the scenes had changed, he remembered the incident that had taken place, but he hadn't found out about her exile until Aizen had told Shinji a few months later, when he still couldn't find where and why the woman had disappeared.

It came as a shock, they knew that she sent a lot of her Division members to the Fourth that day, but it hadn't crossed their minds that it was fueled by rage. Even her Lieutenant, third and second seated officers had wound up in the Fourth Division and they were all three on equal grounds, her second seat having achieved Bankai whilst her Lieutenant of that time matched her power-wise almost equally.

Her Division was full of power houses which preferred to avoid fighting as she had raised them all as if they had been her children, insisting that a wound shouldn't be the first way to go about things if possibly avoided, however crucial if a life depended on it.

Lisa walked in, watching the screen from afar, as she furrowed her eyebrows, "What happened to her?"

No one had quite the answer as the mosquito had only come in contact with them starting the scene of her being carried, they had followed them. Kisuke finally turned off the screen as he buried his face into his palms, lightly rubbing it.

Shinji just patted the man's back before heading out with Lisa who seemed confused.


	3. Chapter 3

Kaiyu recalled going through tremendous pain before she blacked out. Her feet still hurt but not like they had before. It was mid-day when the woman awoke in her bed, her clothing still the same though she had been wrapped underneath a blanket.

She groggily moved to stand up, realizing she would have to work all day she sighed. Her feet slowly moved towards the bathroom, the muscle pain still existing in her feet as an echo, but she didn't mind. It was a fair reminder that she shouldn't have done what she did. If she had wanted an instantaneous win, she should've just released her Bankai and hoped for the best, considering that Tsuyoshi, her zanpakuto spirit wasn't very happy with her when she did release her Bankai as it could easily cause equal damage which it output, to her body.

The woman showered, wrapping herself in white cloth, tying it around her for the time being before moving back towards her bedroom where she got to work with clothing. She needed several different choices, preferably two or three that looked the same, so she could have one go to outfit regardless of situation.

She hadn't noticed how the time had passed, hearing a knock at the door before it opened. She slowly got up, moving towards the door way of her bedroom to look at her visitors only to find a group of people. Her brows furrowed as she looked at Shunsui, Kenpachi, Aizen and several others she didn't recognize. She felt oddly uncomfortable noticing a young man with silver hair, his smile made her curious yet wary.

"We came to celebrate," Announced Shunsui as Kenpachi grunted loudly in agreement, "Just don't throw up all over my carpets. Give me a little and I'll finish what I'm doing and then prepare food and tea if anyone would like."

Aizen immediately piped up, "Tea for me, please." To which the woman cast him a welcoming smile whilst watching the group settle down in the living room. She could hear small chatter whilst she moved around her bedroom placing things away and picking up a short kimono she had sewn today, it allowed for freedom, however it did reveal her legs, but it would have to do. She slowly put the white piece of, tying it together with soft, black silk ribbon into a small bow in the front.

She moved out into the kitchen, her movement still slow, "How are your feet?" Shunsui asked, having left the group. The woman turned around, her back pressed against the counter top as she looked at the man, "Bearable, still painful, however not as terrible as last night, thank you." She replied quietly before taking out a round plate and tea cups which had been stacked.

"Let me help you out, just tell me what to do," Kaiyu nodded at Shunsui's offer before pointing him towards the sink, "Wash them, I don't quite understand how it works as I used clay pots and boiled river water to clean up."

She handed the plate of tea cups to the man seeing a small pink haired woman pop into the kitchen area, she looked at the woman with a huge smile which Kaiyu returned whilst leaning down to the same level as the smaller girl, "Aaaaa, Yachiru wants candy! Does Lady Kaiyu have any?"

The woman thought for a second, standing up and looking through her cupboards before finding a small box of sugar candies, they had been her favorite and Yamamoto had taken care to stock them for her. She leant back down, handing the little box to the girl, but not giving it to her, "I'll give this to you if you don't call me Lady, alright, Yachiru?"

The small girl clapped her hands together, "Yes Miss Kaiyu!" To which Kaiyu shook her head, "No miss either, just Kaiyu."

"Okay Kaiyu!" And with that the woman gave her the candies before returning back to preparing the herbs.

"I finished washing them, should I dry them now?" Shunsui asked, looking at the back of the woman, "Yes, there are towels in the cupboard above the sink, just leave the towel on the counter later, I'll clean it."

She received no reply as she continued on with the herbs, she picked out peppermint and chamomile, lightly grinding it up in smaller pieces before adding ginger root to the mix and lemon juice. She hadn't been sure how well would this turn out but she assumed it should be fine, this time another voice interrupted the peace in the kitchen, "We brought sake, is there any chance we could get sake cups?"

Kaiyu looked at the source, it had been a man with red hair tightly held together in a ponytail. "Will you clean them, then?" She asked softly, opening the same cupboard from which she had brought out one plate, bringing out another wooden plate before placing sake cups on it and handing them to the man who without a word moved to the sink beside Shunsui, grumbling something but doing the work she expected him to.

The woman was quick in the kitchen, swiftly moving to the stove, turning it on before placing a kettle with water to boil. Bringing out two tea pots, she opened them and cleaned them before adding the herb mix she had created in both, pouring hot water over them when the water was ready.

She looked at Shunsui who had still been cleaning the cups before she shook her head, men were slow if they hadn't been used to doing this type of work, it never took long nor a lot, but for some reason all the men she had encountered had been slow. Even now, recalling back when she had bribed Yamamoto into helping her around the kitchen, she only trusted he cut the vegetables, if it came to dishes, he took too long cleaning as well.

Kaiyu ushered both men back to the room, quickly finishing washing and cleaning before placing both tea pots on each plate in the middle of the cups. She slowly picked both up before balancing them on her palms, walking in a steady pace from the kitchen to the living room area. She placed them down easily, moving the second teapot from the sake plate to the other plate.

"Sorry for your legs," Kenpachi said, looking very serious to which Kaiyu rose her brow, curiously staring at the man, "I should've listened to Shunsui and Aizen when they spoke in your stead."

The table went deathly silent whilst everyone just look back and forth between the two. Kaiyu shook her head, motioning for the man to stand up once he did, he towered the woman but that hadn't been what she had been interested in. The woman wrapped her arms around the man, squeezing him in a hug. He looked confused and uncomfortable, at that point Shunsui barked out in laughter whilst Aizen just hid his laughter behind the cup of tea he had poured himself.

"I'm fine," She said, letting go of the man, "Now sit down, we're all adults here, no harm had been done."

The chatter sprang back to life, everyone talking about things they knew. She had learnt that Shunsui's new lieutenant was Nanao Ise. She was a smart woman and the only person who she talked to the most that night.

Kaiyu hadn't expected the men to bring boxes of Sake, she thought they had been talking about perhaps ten bottles, but not four boxes, where each held a total of forty bottles stacked. It also appeared that her so called celebration had spread around Seireitei and more people had joined. She pinched the bridge of her nose, seeing more and more people arrive, bringing their own drinks, however also food, which she had been thankful for. Her living room had been full of high ranking officers and Captains.

Kaiyu had excused herself to the kitchen where she remained most of the night, chatting with both Nanao and Aizen. Several hours later Aizen had excused himself a while after Gin had. Nanao excused herself as well, leaving her Captain in Kaiyu's hands after she realized the bond both people had.

The woman's eyes looked at her living room as if it had been a war zone. People had been drunk, sprawled across the floor. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she slowly moved everyone into a more comfortable position, sometimes waking someone up but just as quickly assuring that everything had been fine and they went back to sleep. She cut and laid out thick material over everyone as she kept the house doors open to erase the stench these people left behind.

Breakfast preparation began at 4am, the woman had too many mouths to feed so she would just start now. Her feet hurt less now, so she had been quick around the garden, gathering carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers and also some oranges and pears.

She diced the carrots, boiling them whilst cutting the tomatoes and cucumbers, adding sour cream over them before additionally adding chives, salt and chopped up onion. She cooked several cartons of eggs, caramelizing onion with the carrots whilst also slowly cutting the pears into slices and skinning the oranges.

By 7am the woman had been done, believing she had created enough food for the group, she cleaned the table in the living room, slowly placing everything atop of it, preparing two more tea pots and cleaning the used sake and tea cups.

Then at 8am, she woke them up, she wasn't kind, she removed all of the warm material first, realizing she would probably have to wash it before being able to use it again. A small frown found its way to her face, but she noticed some Lieutenants had been waking, at this point, she gave it five more minutes, realizing only two people had woken up, she headed straight into the kitchen, taking hold of two metal pan lids she moved into the living room, smacking them together. The sound was if something had exploded, which brought everyone up, looking around, whilst her eyes judged the group of people in her living room before she pointed towards the dining table.

"Dishes and utensils are there, don't break anything." She said thoughtfully before moving back into the kitchen to place all the cooking ware away.

The people seemed guilt ridden and ate quietly before one after another excusing themselves. The only person left had been Shunsui who moved back into the living room, sitting on the couch, watching the woman blankly stand in front of the sink, having figured out how it worked.

Kaiyu could feel his eyes burning into her back as she finally turned around, the man's eyes eating her up whilst her usual smile faltered. Her usual enthusiasm was gone in a heartbeat, her footing slow was she made her way towards the man, laying onto his lap, her back facing him.

"I miss them, it's not the same here," She said quietly, feeling his fingers running through her hair, playing with a single lock of her black hair.

The man frowned, his fingers brushing behind the woman's ear, "I know, I think about them often."

They sat in silence, unaware of their surroundings and though the woman wanted to act out on her instincts, she wouldn't make the first move, something was still holding her back, or rather someone. Foolish is what she had been, naïve and foolish, you couldn't even blame it on her being young, she was past beyond her years of prime.

The sliding door opened and Kaiyu glanced towards it, seeing Nanao and Aizen standing, looking at them curiously. Nanao had been the first to leave, a curious blush covering her cheeks and Aizen left soon after, winking at Kaiyu to which she snorted.

"Your lieutenant may be jealous," She said, turning onto her back as she looked up at the man, he didn't seem as amused as Kaiyu had been.

"I should go clear up the misunderstanding." The man said, somehow drifting off into a deeper thought than the woman had expected him to. When she had been the Captain of Third Division, he had always kept her company in many ways alike to this, but it seemed now, that it won't be the case anymore.

She wanted to say don't go, but she couldn't muster up the courage, so instead, she choose to support his decision, "Yeah, perhaps you should." Her tone was off completely though the man hadn't taken notice, only gently moved her head before leaving in a rush.

Love, what a curious creature, she had wound up getting her feelings hurt again because she expected more than she should've, because even when he visited her whilst in exile, he wouldn't get close to the woman anymore, just kept her company whilst chatting.

Her hands found their way to her face, wiping away the tears that had started to spill, when had she become so weak? She wondered before burying her face into a lone pillow which sat at the arm rest.

The day ended quite uneventful, Aizen hadn't returned back at any point, which she somehow had hoped for, she craved company, but she couldn't get it, because everyone was busy. She hadn't done anything much that day besides cry and clean up afterwards before getting into bed and tossing and turning, trying to force herself to sleep.

The same questions kept running through her mind, had she become too weak? When did she become so weak? Would nothing be the same? And they haunted her, she couldn't get her mind to stop, eventually she got dressed, she had to leave, Seireitei wasn't the place for her, it took her only two conscious days to realize this.

She slowly folded her kimono's, wrapping them in silk before placing the items in a large sash which she tied around her shoulders. Her hands reached for the zanpakuto before she heard Yamamoto's voice, "Running?"

She shot the man a glare before she felt his reiatsu spike, "I give you an opportunity and you defy me in less than a month by trying to leave?" Every step he made towards the woman, his reiatsu got crazier, then, she collapsed onto the ground, the pressure becoming unbearable as her breath hitched.

"Why?"

"be-because it's not the same without them." She spat out, feeling the pressure disappear slowly, the man's frown was imminent. She slowly stood up, looking at him curiously, wondering whether she should test him further or not, perhaps not considering the shape she was in right now.

"You'll be moved to your new Division tomorrow, if you choose to stay. Builders are there and all you need to do is put forward plans, bury and drown yourself in work if you must, but don't leave." He said, his eyes watching the woman as she sat down on the edge of her bed, staring at him.

"I'd prefer if your Division included the grand elements which your village did, I want your Division to become reliable and soon, you'll be receiving excellent recruits." He continued on as he watched the woman, "I also expect you to improve yourself, the fight with Kenpachi could've been over in minutes, it didn't require hours."

The woman just shook her head, "I'll stay, if the Division isn't what I expect it to become, I'll remove myself immediately from said position and move back."

"I won't object that, carry on as you must." He said as he turned to leave, the woman undid the sash, looking at the material row before looking back at the man, "I expect fully equipped sewing rooms and kitchens."

"You may have whatever you like, just don't make it too expensive." The woman murmured in agreement, watching him leave as she moved towards the stacked materials. Now she had to prepare everything she thought she would've in weeks-time if she hadn't decided to leave.

The woman spent the rest of the night sewing again. Her fingers worked quickly whilst drawing the forms and cutting material, too much had happened all at once, things were moving forward too fast and she didn't like that at all.

By the time sun rose the woman had sewn enough to have a different outfit for the duration of two weeks every day, which was enough, for now, perhaps something else would cross her mind later on.

True to Yamamoto's word, she moved to where her Division would be, it was very far away from the usual row of Division's, but that was fine. The building had already began, she saw what looked alike to her old house. A small smile rose onto her lips as she walked around before meeting with different builders, explaining what she wanted and helped them.


End file.
